The Happiest Place on Earth

What does it say about Florida when our three main candidates for U.S. Senate — Democrat Kendrick Meek, Republican Marco Rubio, and Republican “Independent” Charlie Crist — show up on a list entitled “10 of the Most Crooked Candidates of 2010?”  Well, for one thing, it says that our Senate race may be one of the most closely watched in the country (it certainly has more than its fair share of intrigue and national implications).  But more than that, it suggests that, basically, Floridians’ choices are rather limited in the ethical arena…

As a supporter of Rep. Meek, I’m disappointed — but not altogether surprised — to see him on this list, produced by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and covering only non-incumbent federal-level candidates (so far).  Obviously Rep. Meek has had faced some ethically questionable situations, and the GOP is falling all over themselves to publicize (and, frankly, exaggerate) them in an effort to obscure the far more damaging allegations against their wunderkind candidate, Marco Rubio.  Meanwhile, Charlie Crist, whose sole objective in life is to advance the cause of Charlie Crist, isn’t exactly smelling like a rose, either.

Let’s take a look at a little of what CREW had to say about each candidate.  First, Meek:

Rep. Meek has been criticized for his relationship with developer Dennis Stackhouse, who is now awaiting trial for grand theft and organizing a scheme to defraud. Rep. Meek earmarked $1,072,750 million for Mr. Stackhouse’s development project and requested an additional $4 million in earmarks for Mr. Stackhouse, which were never awarded. In addition, both Rep. Meek and his former district director, Anthony Williams, served on the Miami-Dade Urban Revitalization Task Force, which loaned $2.2 million to Mr. Stackhouse’s project, but Rep. Meek did not vote on that particular loan.

At the same time Mr. Stackhouse employed Rep. Meek’s mother, former Congresswoman Carrie Meek, as a consultant paying her $90,000, giving her the free use of a leased Cadillac Escalade and donating the use of a 2,600 square foot office for her foundation. Mr. Stackhouse further curried favor with the congressman by contributing thousands to Rep. Meek’s campaign in 2003. Furthermore, Mr. Stackhouse gave Mr. Williams $13,000 to help him buy a house. Police tried to make a case against Mr. Williams for mortgage fraud, but prosecutors believed the evidence gathered was insufficient. Rep. Meek claimed not to have known about the mortgage deal.

They go on to talk about the long-publicized claims that there was something unscrupulous or underhanded about the way Meek essentially succeeded to the congressional seat previously held by his mother, Carrie Meek … one wonders why they don’t make the same claims about, say, George W. Bush achieving the same office previously (although admittedly not immediately before) held by his father.  But even so, how in the world do Meek’s alleged transgressions rise to the level of his opponents Rubio and Crist?

Take, for example, Rubio, who as CREW puts it

is currently implicated in a federal criminal investigation for the misuse of Florida Republican Party credit cards during his time as Speaker. Specifically, the IRS is examining records to determining if Mr. Rubio and other party leaders personally benefitted from the credit card scheme. Legally, party credit cards can only be used for political activities, but Mr. Rubio and his staff charged many seemingly personal expenses on the cards including car repairs, and grocery purchases. Mr. Rubio’s chief of staff racked up thousands of dollars in expenses on behalf of Mr. Rubio on his card including dinners and a Rubio family trip to a Georgia resort.

Mr. Rubio also admitted he double-billed both the Republican Party and state taxpayers for eight flights totaling about $3,000 in 2007. Mr. Rubio promised to refund the party, because the trips were for official business, but had not as of April 20, 2010.

Additionally, Mr. Rubio inserted earmarks into the state budget for his personal financial gain. While preparing to leave his position in the Florida House of Representatives, he accepted a $69,000 per year, part-time, unadvertised professor position with Florida International University (FIU). When he was hired, FIU had a $32 million budget deficit and had cut 23 degree programs and 200 jobs. During his tenure in the House, Mr. Rubio helped steer at least $29 million to the university, leading FIU’s president at the time to say that Mr. Rubio was “worth every penny”.

Or Crist?

Gov. Crist handpicked Jim Greer to head the Florida Republican Party. Despite multiple calls for Mr. Greer’s resignation by fellow Republicans, due to extravagant spending at the party’s expense, Gov. Crist defended Mr. Greer. Mr. Greer is now facing six counts of grand theft, fraud and money laundering. He is accused of secretly setting up a shell company, Victory Strategies, and signing a deal that would give Victory Strategies 10% of GOP donations – a deal that Gov. Crist allegedly approved.

Prior to serving as governor, Gov. Crist was the state’s attorney general. As attorney general, Gov. Crist was criticized for failing to investigate those with whom he had political or financial ties. First, he failed to investigate state contractor GDX for leaking the personal information of 100,000 state employees. GDX had been subcontracted by computer company Convergys to index electronic personnel records but when GDX outsourced the job overseas, the personal information of up to 100,000 state employees may have been exposed. Convergys had close ties to then-Attorney General Crist. The company had hired his advisor as a lobbyist and was a donor to the Republican Party. Attorney General Crist dropped the investigation.

Yes, of course there is corruption in politics.  And yes, Florida has more than its fair share of corruption.  But to imply that Meek benefited from his ties to family and friends in the same way that Crist and Rubio have overtly derived political and personal financial gains from their offices is to grossly misstate the situation and make Florida look even worse than it already does.  Corruption may be inherent in politics, particularly at the higher levels, and I understand that Kendrick Meek may need to answer some tough questions.  But if your choice boils down to a self-aggrandizing, smarmy politico who bends whichever way the wind blows; a teabagger-in-candidate’s-clothes whose hands have been dirty since his days as Florida’s Speaker of the House; or a lifelong advocate for Floridians who had the good — and coincidental — fortune to have a mother in Congress … well, it’s really no choice at all.

(h/t to devbost on Twitter)